Council and Live Borders reviewing service delivery and properties in effort to address financial challenges

Amid significant financial pressures, Live Borders and Scottish Borders Council are reviewing how and where services are delivered, including the sustainability of the Council’s properties operated and managed by the sport, leisure and culture trust.

Proposals will be developed which will help keep services accessible, relevant, and cost-effective, while adapting to social and economic changes. The project also aims to achieve a sustainable sport, leisure and culture estate that maximises community impact while reducing financial and operational burdens.

The joint project is being supported by consultants with extensive experience of working with local authorities and sport and culture trusts, with stakeholders also feeding in specialist knowledge and experience from other areas.

Insights from over 6,500 local residents gathered during the joint review in 2023, usage data, cost analysis and property condition are also being considered as part of the review and the development of recommendations and next steps.

The Council-owned Laidlaw Memorial Pool in Jedburgh, which had been operated by a separate trust and recently closed, is also included in the project.

A series of evidence-based, data-driven proposals from the consultants will be discussed at Full Council at the end of April. Subsequent consultation, including place-based community engagement, will take place through the summer and into the autumn.

The refreshed Live Borders board of trustees, including new chairman Bill Douglas, will be instrumental in driving forward change, alongside the Council. Recruitment for a permanent CEO at Live Borders is ongoing and they too will play a key role.

Councillor Euan Jardine, Leader of Scottish Borders Council, said: “The Council and Live Borders are dedicated to fostering vibrant, healthy, and active communities, by offering high quality sport, leisure, and cultural services to residents and visitors. Ensuring the financial sustainability of these services, and the properties from which they operate, allows for continued investment and growth.

“The consultants’ report will help shape our thinking and allow us to engage with communities on various options, before final recommendations are developed and then brought to Council for decisions.

“The way local people and visitors access services and attractions has been changing for many years, and this has only accelerated since the Covid-19 pandemic. This has resulted in reduced income and lower footfall, while associated property costs have gone up exponentially. This is not unique to the Borders and is evident across many other leisure and culture trusts across the country.

“Ultimately, right now it is costing Live Borders and in turn the Council too much to sustain more than 60 properties and facilities, including six swimming pools, over 20 museums and libraries, community centres and town halls. Many of these are aging and becoming costly to maintain.

“With significant financial pressures affecting Live Borders, and ever-increasing restrictions on Council funds, we have to make operational, service delivery and property changes to allow Live Borders to operate within its budget. There is no longer the money available to keep doing what we’ve always done.

“This review is not just about saving money though, as it will also identify new opportunities and identify facilities we should invest in to ensure their long-term future, maintain community access and maximise usage.

“The landscape of sport, leisure and cultural services and facilities in the Borders will be different going forward – how and where services are delivered or accessed will change. This is the price that must be paid to ensure that we all continue to have access to these valued services.”

It is anticipated that the changes to be brought forward will have a staffing impact at Live Borders and engagement and consultation will take place with staff and trade unions as proposals are developed.

New Chair of Live Borders’ Board of Trustees, Bill Douglas, said: “There is a lot of work to do to get our services and facilities on to a financially sustainable footing and everyone at Live Borders stands ready to tackle these challenges head on.

“There are real opportunities to grow membership, and income, but that needs to be supported by investment that is simply not possible just now as every penny is accounted for.

“Through delivering these changes, and continued engagement with our communities, I am sure that Live Borders will be in a much stronger position when we come out the other side of the change programme.”

As with other such trusts across the country, Live Borders has experienced unprecedented challenges over the past five years, including the Covid-19 pandemic and subsequent slow recovery, vastly increased utility costs and changes in customer usage trends.

In August last year it was agreed to move Live Borders to a single member trust model, where the Council is the single shareholder/member, but a board still operates with an independent majority. This model improves Council oversight and input into Live Borders and facilitates greater alignment to key priorities and service delivery.

The Council has supported Live Borders financially throughout, including continuing to pay the full management fee when services were closed through the pandemic and staff were furloughed. Subsequently the Council has provided an additional £4m of funding and worked closely with Live Borders to deliver savings. The Council has also invested in improving facilities and addressing building and plant issues or repairs.

Over £1.8m of additional funding for 2025/26 has also been agreed for Live Borders, however this will only partially address already forecasted financial pressures in the next year, further emphasising the urgency with which change is needed.

The project is part of the ongoing joint transformational change programme, which is aimed at delivering high quality sport, leisure and cultural services through a financially sustainable and high performing partnership. This programme was established following the broad independent joint review of sport, leisure and cultural services and facilities in 2023.

Live Borders has made a number of changes to its operations and back-office functions in order to deliver savings, and a range of projects continue to be progressed jointly with the Council as part of the joint transformational change programme.

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